NOVEL NEXT Ch. 2
The Academy
At noon on December 1st, in the year 4999 of the Holy Era, Yinhua of Class 1A at the prestigious Baiying Academy, located in the city of Shayuola, was strolling alone through the campus.
No matter where she went, she was the center of attention.
Yinhua's skin was as fair as snow, her delicate face adorned with cherry-red eyes and slightly upturned cherry lips.
Coupled with her slender and graceful figure and her smooth, supple legs, it was no wonder that countless eyes followed her wherever she went.
The most eye-catching feature, though, was her long, flowing silver hair.
Yinhua was a false princess, devoid of any magical element.
She had endured endless cold stares in the palace and, unable to stand it any longer, eventually chose to move out.
Her siblings, and even the current emperor, did not care at all about her whereabouts.
If anything, only one imperial sister seemed to show some concern for her.
She paid no attention to the gaze of others and continued to walk slowly among the trees.
As today was the first day of the term, the campus streets were particularly lively, turning into a vast marketplace alive with excitement.
The atmosphere was bustling, making the school environment all the more vibrant.
Within the marketplace, numerous stalls shaped like wooden cottages were packed closely together.
Anything one could imagine was available here, and there were even clowns playing at the street corners, entertaining the students.
Yinhua was swept along with the crowd into the marketplace.
She herself did not know if there was anything she wanted to buy; she was simply following as others entered.
Just as she was about to head back, Yinhua noticed a relatively cool and quiet shop.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she walked inside.
"Welcome," rang out a woman's voice from within the shop.
"What are these?"
Yinhua asked.
"They're nothing special, just some magical toys," the woman replied.
On this continent where magic was commonplace, magical toys naturally failed to attract much attention, for anyone with some skill could make such things themselves.
But it was different for Yinhua, who had never encountered magic since childhood; she found them fascinating.
"Wow, really?! They look amazing!"
The shopkeeper looked at Yinhua with a strange expression, as if she were a naïve child unfamiliar with the world.
She couldn't understand what was so special about these things.
"Excuse me, who might you be?" the woman asked.
"Ah, I am Yinhua—Wanhua Yinhua."
"Yinhua? Are you the Princess...?"
The woman exclaimed in surprise.
Thinking of Yinhua's complete lack of magical sense, it didn't seem so strange that she would be curious about such things.
"How sad..."
The woman looked at Yinhua with a hint of pity.
"Ah, pardon me, please forgive my rudeness. I meant no offense whatsoever."
"No need to mind it, I've long since gotten used to this sort of thing. What is this?"
Yinhua asked, picking up a cherry blossom-shaped ornament from the counter.
"That's a regular cherry blossom lamp. Just inject a little bit of magic, and it will float into the air and emit a red glow. Though the light is faint, it looks lovely at night."
"That's really nice. I'll take this one. How much do I owe you?"
"But, Princess, you—"
The woman looked at Yinhua in confusion; after all, this princess was supposed to have no magical ability at all.
"It's fine, it's fine! I have a maid at home who can use magic. With her there, it won't be a problem."
Seeing Yinhua's sunny smile, a faint blush crept onto the woman's face.
"Please, have it as a gift. Think of it as a token for being my shop's very first customer."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! It's just a small trinket, so please don't worry about it."
"Is that so? Thank you."
Noticing the "A" badge on Yinhua's chest, the woman asked curiously, "Princess, are you in Class A?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I'm also in Class A. But why don't I have any memory of seeing you this morning?"
With Yinhua's unique appearance, the woman was sure she wouldn't have forgotten.
Having been asked, Yinhua's face turned red at once.
She certainly couldn't admit that she overslept, missed not only the opening ceremony but also the morning classes, and was ultimately dragged out of bed by her maid. How could she say that out loud?
"Woooooo."
Only the whistling of cold wind was left in the air. A mysterious silence lingered between the two.
"By the way, after chatting so long, I still don't know your name."
Eager to break the awkward silence, Yinhua hurriedly sought out a new topic.
"Xiya. Louguan Xiya. Just call me Xiya."
"Yinhua. Wanhua Yinhua. Just call me Yinhua."
Hm? Why does this name sound so familiar?
"Wait, Louguan Xiya—aren't you that genius whose magical perception is 97%? The top student in both magical combat and written exams, and this year's freshman representative?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Then why are you here?"
"This shop was opened by a friend of mine. She had an urgent matter and stepped out, so I'm just looking after it for her."
So is that why you so casually gave me the cherry blossom lamp?
Does it not matter if it belongs to your friend?!
Well, I'll just accept it for now.
"Thank you."
After expressing her gratitude, Yinhua tucked the cherry blossom lamp into her pocket.
"So, does this make us friends now?"
"Hmm?"
Yinhua tilted her head.
"Of course!"
"Nice to meet you, prin—Yinhua..."
"Nice to meet you too, Xiya!"
Although making a friend on the first day of school made Yinhua quite happy, she couldn't help but wonder—was this really all right?
Someone as clueless about magic as herself, and this magical prodigy—could they really have any common ground?
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】